IT'S-IT

[Nancy Berry]

Soy milk Its-It? Mint It's-It? Chocolate or strawberry It's-It?

If an It's-It is not made with vanilla ice cream, pure and simple, it's an It's-Not, IMHO.

I love the original vanilla IT'S-IT, but the other flavors are very good, especially the coffee and strawberry. My daughter's favorite is the chocolate.

[JFLinLA]

So short of heading over to Dodger Stadium, how could I get some It's-It's in Southern California? I'm even willing to order them if they could be shipped. Wouldn't it be fun for an event?

[Jason Perlow]

You could probably have them packed in dry ice. For a short haul california trip or even across country for a day or so it should be fine.

[JFLinLA]

You could probably have them packed in dry ice. For a short haul california trip or even across country for a day or so it should be fine.

And who does one contact?

[Gary Soup]

Soy milk Its-It? Mint It's-It? Chocolate or strawberry It's-It?

If an It's-It is not made with vanilla ice cream, pure and simple, it's an It's-Not, IMHO.

I love the original vanilla IT'S-IT, but the other flavors are very good, especially the coffee and strawberry. My daughter's favorite is the chocolate.

No need to be defensive. It's just a Proustian riff with me. I can't imagine a strawberry It's-It bringing back the smells ands sounds of Playland-at-the-Beach.

[Jason Perlow]

You could probably have them packed in dry ice. For a short haul california trip or even across country for a day or so it should be fine.

And who does one contact?

A relative or a friend, presumably. If you really needed it for an eG event, I could have Fredlet do it.

[megc]

Oh man! Now I want one! I loved the original vanilla but liked the mint from time to time. Even though I'd love to have one right now, it's sort of nice to know that there still exists the regional treat that isn't duplicated elsewhere.

Missing CA dreadfully these days,

Meg in NY

[badthings]

Just had one for lunch, suckers!

Washed it down with a Top Dog and an ice cold RC.

I'm just rubbing it in. Really, it's no tastycake.

[megc]

Washed it down with a Top Dog and an ice cold RC.

And at which location did you ingest that Top Dog? I always liked the south of Campus location (on Durant I think?), the walls of which carried numerous anarchist writings. God I miss Berkeley.

[Gary Soup]

Washed it down with a Top Dog and an ice cold RC.

And at which location did you ingest that Top Dog? I always liked the south of Campus location (on Durant I think?), the walls of which carried numerous anarchist writings. God I miss Berkeley.

I started out with the Top Dog on the south side, but switched to the more tranquil north side location after getting a whiff of tear gas as an unwanted side order one day. I guess things have mellowed out in the last 35 or 40 years on Telegraph, though. No It's-It's in those days, which may have been before the It's-It was re-introduced.

[jschyun]

Whoah, you're showing your age, Gary Soup just kidding (ducking pie being thrown)

I have always thought Top Dog on durant was the...top dog of them all. In the early nineties, there was this long haired brunet dude who didn't say much but grilled those sausages as if his life depended on it.

As for It's-It's, I remember how we used to buy them at school during lunch hour but I forgot how great they were. Thanks for the memories!

[Louisa Chu]

No It's-It's in those days, which may have been before the It's-It was re-introduced.

Whoa. What's the story there? Not continuous "Since 1928"? I've only known them for a few years - used to see the billboard on the drive up from LA all the time. Then stayed at the airport Hyatt where they were sponsoring some event and got invited to an IT'S IT all you can eat - apparently I can eat an alarming number of them. Always want to buy a case at the factory - right next to the hotel - but can't handle it. One of my favourite IT'S IT moments - long hike through Sequoia, followed by an IT'S IT at sunset. I really miss California too.

[Chris Cognac]

Hey, I live about 6 miles from that Hyatt and never knew of a factory....Is it on Century Blvd....Heck, thats my beat at work....oh now I have to go on a "quest".....this might make a good column!

[Gary Soup]

No It's-It's in those days, which may have been before the It's-It was re-introduced.

Whoa. What's the story there? Not continuous "Since 1928"? I've only known them for a few years - used to see the billboard on the drive up from LA all the time. Then stayed at the airport Hyatt where they were sponsoring some event and got invited to an IT'S IT all you can eat - apparently I can eat an alarming number of them. Always want to buy a case at the factory - right next to the hotel - but can't handle it. One of my favourite IT'S IT moments - long hike through Sequoia, followed by an IT'S IT at sunset. I really miss California too.

It's-it was originally sold from a stand at a beachfront amusement park in San Francisco, Playland-at-the-Beach. My memory may be faulty, but it I think there was a hiatus of a couple of years before it showed up in freezer cases in a foil wrapper, and I seem to recall reading that it was being "brought back."

[JFLinLA]

Always want to buy a case at the factory - right next to the hotel - but can't handle it.

A case from the factory, yes. I'd love to do that and have them ship it. Could you be more specific about where this elusive factory may be?

[capnhank]

The factory is off 101, round about Burlingame, I think.

Can't miss it - old building with a tiny sign on the East side of the freeway. Actually very easy to miss.

Badthings - I've never quite understood the draw of Tastykakes. They're just glorified Zingers, if you ask me, and nothing special. I used to have to mail the bloody things across the country when I went to the East Coast. Silly transplanted east coast coworkers always wanted a bag of Utz or Wise or something, too.

However, there's nothing like a Top Dog. Durant for atmosphere, Northside for a slightly better dog (IMO). At least that's the way it was when I was in high school. LaVal's pizza was the same way. Better pizza on the Northside, but Durant for the weirdos.

[badthings]

Tastycakes are inscrutable -- I think you had to grow up with them. For me, they were a kind of semi-annual forbidden fruit that made up for the frightening accents of our mid-atlantic relatives (you can't get them in New England). The thing that makes them special is that they really don't taste anything like comparable brands. (They must use a manufacturing process that everyone else rejected). IMHO, ITS-ITS are similar: they're not as good as the nestle tollhouse icecream sandwich, for example. What, and where, are zingers?

I rock the southside TopDog, because it's the closest to work. There is one now to the west, on the way to BART from campus, and, inexplicably, one in the Long's Drugs at "the rock" safeway stripmall on Broadway. The quality does vary, but they all use Saag's sausage, as far as I can tell. The southside one, by the way, is covered in libertarian propagana, not anarchist (maybe a natural evolution?).

And, sorry Capnhank, but Laval's pizza is inedible, at any location. Maybe it used to be better, but considering what people eat for pizza around here, I doubt it.

[JFLinLA]

The factory is off 101, round about Burlingame, I think.

Can't miss it - old building with a tiny sign on the East side of the freeway. Actually very easy to miss.

How did I not know that? I spent two years going to high school in the area and definitely smelled the chocolate from the Guittard factory.

What? No mention of Larry Blakes?

Edited September 15, 2003 by JFLinLA (log)

[capnhank]

LaVal's, while certainly not good pizza. was decent in it's day (on a Round Table, Straw Hat, Red Vest scale). I worked at the El Cerrito location in the early 80s, before Cybelle's bought it out. Next I stole some elements of Cybelle's dough recipe (something about apple juice, if I recall correctly) and went to Fat Slice (proud to say I painted that ceiling!), which I understand has gone downhill considerably in the last decade as well. I believe they've moved to a pre-packaged "sourdough" crust mix. Eccchhh. Blondie's and Arinell are probably in the same boat, too. Funny how places that were good when I was 10 are now downright mediocre.

Larry Blake's, of course, has always been the same. Big burgers and the occasional good blues act downstairs. I haven't been in years, as my last visit entailed an arm-wrestling match gone terribly awry which led to my forcible ejection, but it's a landmark.

[PamelaF]

I was driving past the It's It factory today and noticed a big banner announcing that their products are now available online.

I remembered this old thread and thought I would bring it back up, just in time for holiday parties.

The basic price of $17/case of 24 is pretty reasonable, but the overnight shipping adds quite a lot. If you are local to the SF Bay Area they also do local deliveries, or you can pick them up.

[EdS]

I grew up eating these things maybe once a month during my childhood but haven't had one in maybe 15 years. I now live only a couple of miles away from the factory (I'm in San Mateo, it's in the next city of Burlingame) and yet I don't see these things anywhere other than at an independent cafe down the street where I bet they've been sitting in the cooler for several months.

I'm happy I came across this thread because I'm going to go out and get one of those It's-It's soon. I forgot about them! I think they need to do a better job of marketing. Damn, they're good. They deserve to be more popular than they are!

[EdS]

Well, I'm lame. From their web site:

"The original IT'S IT and other It's It Ice Cream Products can be found at many retail stores in states West of the Rockies. The It's It 3-pack, which consists of 3 individually wrapped IT'S IT bars, can be found at many supermarkets throughout Northern California. These supermarkets include Safeway, Albertson's, Raley's and Nob Hill. It's It products can also be found at mass retailers such as Costco, Sam's Club and Smart & Final. Please check for availability at these stores in your area."

[tanabutler]

I was pretty disappointed when I had an It's It. Ultra sweet and not what I expected. I think there are better versions of similar things in other regions of the country, but I can't remember the names of what I've had that are superior.

[marie-louise]

I was pretty disappointed when I had an It's It. Ultra sweet and not what I expected. I think there are better versions of similar things in other regions of the country, but I can't remember the names of what I've had that are superior.

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Their ice cream could be a little better, but it sure hits the spot after a long hike.

My latest obsession after a hike is a Jamba Juice, though. The PERFECT post-hike meal. I am slowly but surely learning the nearest location next to every park in the entire Bay Area.

[joiei]

Who else has this problem?

←

I do!, I do!

I have not been in the city since the 80's and still crave those things once in a while. And even though they make Blue Bell right over in Broken Arrow, it is not the same.

Now I will have dreams about them. I can almost taste one already. Oh my, what is a Floridian living in Oklahoma to do but suffer.